On Friday, a suicide bombing targeted Maulana Hamid-ul-Haq Haqqani, deputy administrator of Madrassa-e-Haqqania in Akora Khattak, Nowshera, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He could not survive the attack and lost his life along with five other men.

At least 12 people were injured in the attack, who were later discharged from the hospital, according to Rescue 1122 officials.

According to the CCTV video of the incident, the attackers could be seen moving towards Haq when he leaving the mosque after Friday prayer and going towards his house that is adjacent to his Madrassa.

Inspector General of Police Zulfiqar Hameed said that Haq was descending the stairs when the attack took place. He added that the police is investigating the incident from three different angles and vowed to find and punish the perpetrators.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Counter Terrorism Department has registered a terrorism case and also published the picture from the remains of the suicide bomber with an award of PKR0.5 million for any information about the individual.

Hamid’s father Sami-ul-Haq was also assassinated in his house in 2018 in Bahria Town Rawalpindi.

Religious scholars from all schools of thought condemned the attack and asked the authorities to take strict action against people who are targeting religious scholars in the country,

Chairman Quran-o-Sunnah Movement Ibtisam Elahi Zaheer while speaking to Khabar Kada said that people who are attacking the religious scholars in mosques are at the highest level of ‘belligerence’.

“In Surah Nisa Ayah no 93 Allah has said that if anyone kills a Momin, his punishment will be hell. Also, it is clearly written in Ayah 114 of Surah Baqarah that anyone who tries to stop Allah’s Zikar in mosques is a tyrant,” said Zaheer

He recalled his meetings with Hamid and his father and said, “They are very humble people. Even while giving sermons they never used aggressive words. This attack was heart-breaking and traumatising at the same time because such barbaric acts and also at the most sacred place for every Muslim are heinous.” ‎

Some scholars also called for unity in such times of grief and urged their followers to stand in solidarity with each other.

Chairman of Majlis-e-Wahdat-e-Muslimeen Senator Allama Raja Nasir Abbas Jafari while speaking to Khabar Kada said, “It is high time that we all should stand united against the enemies of our nation. The first ever attack in the mosque was carried out against Imam Ali (A.S). There is a Ijma of all religious scholars that hurting anyone in Masjid is ‘Haram’.”

Jamaat-e-Islami Siraj-ul-Haq termed the incident as attack on whole Muslim Ummah. After attending the funeral, he spoke to media and said, “A third party is taking advantage of provincial and federal government’s infighting. People who did this have no religion at all.”

He said that there is a dire need of implementation of National Action Plan for the stability of Pakistan.

Another religious scholar Mufti Noman Naeem, who is the Chancellor Jamia Binoria International in Karachi, said, “These suicide attacks are strictly prohibited and ‘Haram’ in Islam. It is clearly written in Quran that killing yourself is not allowed at any point. Also, any type of destructive actions against a Muslim government is an atrocious crime.”

Hamid-ul-Haq was once active in politics and even contested the 2002 general election on Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal’s ticket from NA-6 in Nowshera. He ended up winning the seat and held it for nearly five years until his resignation in October 2007.

President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Maulana Fazl ur Rehman issued strong condemnations and expressed deep sorrow over the loss of life and offered prayers for the swift recovery of the injured.

Haq’s funeral prayers were offered on Saturday and he was laid to rest next to his father. According to the official statement from Haqqania, Haq’s brother Maulana Rashidul Haq, was announced as the deputy administrator for the Madrassa Haqqania, while Maulana Abdul Haq Sani, the son of late Maulana Hamidul Haq Haqqani will inherit his political office.

The Afghan Consul General of Peshawar Hafiz Muhibullah Shakir also attended the funeral and said that Afghanistan stands in solidarity with the Haqqani family.